Francesco Totti and Alessandro Mancini fired a goal apiece to give Roma a come-from-behind 2-1 victory at Atalanta on Sunday which keeps their title hopes alive. Champions and leaders Inter Milan cruised to a 3-2 win at lowly Siena and when Roma fell a goal behind, it looked as if the title race could be over.
Instead the capital-based club pegged Inter's lead at the top to seven points, with third-placed Juventus dropping to 10 points back after a 1-1 draw at Catania on Saturday.
In the race for the Champions League, fourth-placed Udinese kept their noses in front of Fiorentina after a solid 1-0 win at Cagliari while the Viola triumphed 2-1 in Parma.
In Atalanta things looked desperate for Roma when Adriano Pinto put the hosts ahead on 17 minutes. But Totti rifled home a free-kick under a jumping wall on 38 minutes and Mancini's rasping drive on the stroke of half-time proved enough to secure three vital points.
In Siena Inter predictably coasted to a victory that never looked in doubt once top scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic had given them a 26th minute lead from the spot, following a generously-awarded penalty for a foul on Julio Cruz.
Siena briefly got back on level terms when former Middlesbrough forward Massimo Maccarone bundled the ball home off Colombian defender Ivan Cordoba. But Argentina midfielder Esteban Cambiasso poked home from close range, following good work from Ibrahimovic, just before the break to restore Inter's lead. The Sweden forward then thrashed home a rising drive early in the second period to secure unbeaten Inter's 14th win in 18 league matches this season.
Fernando Forestieri scored a scorching half-volley for Siena deep into injury time. The loss of two points, however, blew a hole in their fading title aspirations.